 | The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere |  |
AN EARLY PICTURE BY RAFFAEL.
Dark, infinitely dark, a midnight blueThose orbs that, resting on the skies, appear
To pierce the veil of Heaven and wander through
Searching the centre of the starry sphere:
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Their fanning plumes with faintest blush imbue
That pearly cheek, a lily else in hue,
And from that brow the auburn tresses clear.
One hand is laid upon her mantled breast
To us an unrevealed paradise,
Nor bodied in the ascetic Painter's dream—
Hidden it lies in everlasting rest
Beneath those purple robes that earthward stream
Cyphered with star-emblazoned mysteries.
| The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere | |